Maverick (The Family Simon 3)

Maverick showered, grabbed a cup of coffee and avoided the TV. Jack was right. No sense watching reports that were full of speculation. His cousin would call him when there was news of Teague, until then he would head o

ut to Fisherman’s Landing and enjoy the day with Charlie and Connor.

By the time he reached town and found the community center, the place was full of people, milling around, eating hot pancakes and drinking hot chocolate. He was directed to a parking lot full of trucks and gear to transport sleds. His skidoo was loaded in the back and he parked his truck so that he could find Charlie.

It didn’t take him long and maybe he shouldn’t be surprised at the way his heart sped up, but shit, he was. She made him lose his cool with just a smile and for a second, he pondered that. Had he ever reacted to a woman in this way?

Hell no. The thought kind of freaked him out.

“Hey,” she said, pale eyes sparkling as she looked up at him. Dressed in a royal blue jacket and matching snow pants, with a pearl colored knitted hat, she looked adorable. Long auburn waves fell around her shoulders and her cheeks were pink from the cold. “Did you just get here?”

“I did.”

“Huh,” she winked. “And you found me already? That’s gottta be some kind of record.”

He paused a few inches from her. God, she was beautiful.

“I think I’ve got some kind of internal radar going on when it comes to you.”

“I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”

“What? You don’t like me knowing where you are every second of the day?” He winked. “Could come in handy. Just sayin’.”

“Really,” she replied. “Why is that?”

“Well, what if say, just now you finished thinking about IT.”

“IT.”

“Yep. IT.” What was it about this banter foreplay that he liked so much?

“IT, as in…” She leaned close to him, reaching up to whisper in his ear. “IT? The IT that ends with both of us naked?”

He nodded. “That would be the one.” And before she could pull away, he swept his mouth over hers, lingering just long enough for him to know that her heart was beating as fast as his.

She slowly pulled away. “Well then.” She licked her mouth, as if savoring the taste of him. “I guess I don’t mind the whole internal radar thing.”

“That’s good then.” He glanced around, aware that they’d attracted some interest. “Where’s Connor?”

“He went with Davis to get some more pancakes.” She held out her plate. “I can’t finish these. They’re yours if you want them.”

He accepted the plate from Charlie and dug into the pancakes. They were liberally doused with syrup and butter, and his Aunt Virginia would kill him for even thinking this, but they were the best damn pancakes he’d ever had.

Charlie went to get them each a coffee and he’d just tossed his paper plate into the large waste bin when Charlie’s friend, Ava walked over.

“Hey Rick, nice to see you out for the run. It’s a lot of fun and the weather’s perfect today.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

She watched him closely and he had a feeling he was being judged in some way. “So I hear you and Charlie have been hanging out.”

“You hear right,” he replied.

“She’s a special girl.” It was a warning, of that there was no doubt, and he appreciated Ava’s concern for her friend.

“So I’ve found out,” he replied.

“I’m glad you guys figured it out.” Ava shrugged. “I haven’t seen her this…well, she’s just a lot more like she used to be and that girl needed some fun, so thank you.”